David Van

David Van is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Australia and was sworn in to the Australian Senate on 1 July 2019, as a Senator for Victoria.

Senator

David Van
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
1 July 2019
Personal details
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal
ResidenceMelbourne
OccupationPolitician
Websitewww.davidvan.com.au

Van has an undergraduate degree in Horticulture, and as part of his degree studied the regeneration of Australian bush post the Ash Wednesday fires in the Blackwood forest that was burned as part of the Trentham East fire complex.[1]

Career

Prior to entering politics, Van was the managing director of South Melbourne public relations firm the De Wintern Group since 2003 where he advised clients on Royal Commissions and other Government inquiries. He was a board director of the Australian Association of Franchisees. A St Kilda resident, he was also the co-convenor of neighbourhood group Friends of St Kilda Hill, which was outspoken about crime and safety, specifically in relation to the Gatwick Hotel boarding house and public housing.[2][3][4][5][6]

Politics

He was elected to the Senate at the 2019 federal election from the marginal third position on the Liberal ticket.[7] He was assigned a party role as "patron" for the Labor-held House seat of Dunkley.[4] In his first speech in September 2019, Van spoke of his belief in the "dignity of work", defended the coalition government's welfare policies, and stated that he believed in "free markets, freedom of speech, and most importantly in my view, getting government out of people's lives to the most practicable extent possible".[8]

Two months into his term, Van called for the phasing out of single-use plastics in Australia[9] and highlighted his belief that the real solution to reducing pollutants would come when market efficiencies and consumers encourage the producer to innovate. Van has also played a role in bringing together a forum of Victorian Consul-Generals through regular diplomatic roundtables.[10]

References
  1. "Statement - Australian Bushfires". Senator David Van. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  2. "Victoria". The Poll Bludger. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. "Board Members". Australian Association of Franchisees. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  4. "Lunch with new Dunkey patron Senator David Van". Committee for Greater Frankston. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. "Gatwick saga plot twist". Caulfield Glen Eira / Port Phillip Leader. 6 November 2018.
  6. "Social housing breakdown". Caulfield Glen Eira / Port Phillip Leader. 5 March 2019.
  7. "Derryn Hinch, Labor lose out as Victorian Senate spots are finalised". The Australian. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  8. "Liberal senator aims to defends democracy". The Canberra Times. 10 September 2019.
  9. "Statement - Single-use Plastics". Senator David Van. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  10. "Senator David Van Hosts 3rd Consulate Roundtable". Senator David Van. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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